


League of His

by wolfdragonful



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), DCU, Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Barry is loved by the League, Everyone laughs at Len, Gen, Len is jealous, Terry and Matt live with Bruce, Terry not stable, Written assuming certain characters would be around, Written before episode 2x02, chapters vary in length, characters may be ooc
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-01
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-18 22:32:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8178550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfdragonful/pseuds/wolfdragonful
Summary: Five times Len is jealous of the Justice League and one time he isn't as jealous.





	1. Flash brings a teammate to Central for a drink

Leonard Snart wasn’t wholly sure how he felt about the Justice League being…a thing, present, around, talked about, whispered over, rumored about, or generally existing. He knew that it was – somewhat – normal for a team to be built for whatever reason – that was how he’d ended up in the Legends, after all. Strength in numbers and all that bull. There was the added help that not everyone worked the same types of issues and could approach a new situation from a better angle when they worked with a new group.

The League seemed to have no shortage of powerful and personable types in its ranks either.

The smaller, specific locale oriented, teams – like the ones in Gotham, Star, and _Central_ – joined up with the global team and juggled their happy little homes along with the world saving nonsense. Maybe there was a bit more than just world saving going on – Green Lanterns were part of a galactic scale team, right? – but Len found it all a bit stupid. He didn’t think much of saving the world; it wasn’t all that profitable. No one – publicly in the limelight at least – was thanking them for their work either which struck Len as rude.

Those who praised heroes were alright but they didn’t have the same sway as people like Godfrey.

As if to add to his irritation, the Legends work was somewhat dry at the moment. Gideon didn’t like to let him go on extended trips since his…incident. There was also a lull in activity since they weren’t in a full blown panic mode as they chased an immortal prick who was better at manipulation than Len’s father. Rex Tyler – Hourman – and Hunter were recruiting for new Time Masters while reworking the Laws as well. They’d be at that for a while, he was sure.

Carter, Kendra, Palmer, Stein, and Jax had secondary assignments with the League. They’d apparently joined during one of the lulls while Len had been unavailable thanks to the…incident. Sara was doing what Len could only call mercenary work or jack of all trades work during the lulls. She liked being busy; kept her sane. She, Shawna, and Lisa had gone partying a few times during this particular lull of activity. All of the rogues knew about Sara, knew she could and would handle them if they tried anything. He didn’t need to worry about her.

He and Mick had pulled a few jobs during the calm too. Staying busy to stay sane wasn’t a coping mechanism reserved for Sara alone. The jobs hadn’t been often though despite the length of this break. All because Len couldn’t get himself worked up enough to plan a job worth bothering over. It helped there wasn’t much worth going after coming into Central.

“Why don’t you have another job lined out already?” Lisa asked as she played with the mint leaves in her neon yellow drink. He would bet it had a pun for a name.

Lisa had decided that he had been lounging about the safe house for too long and it was time for him to get out for a night. He wasn’t sure when _Saints and Sinners_ had become the underground meeting place for out of uniform villains but it was an interesting scene to walk into. Shawna Baez and Hartley Rathaway were sitting in a corner booth with giant smiles on their faces. Kyle Nimbus was sitting at the bar, glaring at one of the games. Roy Bivolo was in a booth with a newspaper while Mark Mardon was drinking with Digger Harkness, and Evan McCulloch in another. Roscoe Dillon was playing pool with Axel Walker. There were a few others milling about the place.

She’d managed to even talk Mick into trying something that wasn’t a beer. He was turning the glass about, glaring at the dark red drink that, from the description on the menu, was a Bloody Mary with wasabi in it. A little fire for the pyromaniac. Len had barely put up with her ordering him to have the neon blue drink in front of him. It certainly tasted like someone had infused berries into it.

“No challenge,” Len grumbled.

“Isn’t he cute when he’s being jealous?” Mick smirked as he sipped at the thing Lisa had made him get. He coughed for a moment and cursed at the sting from the wasabi. “Christ.”

“He found out Flash was in the League didn’t he,” Lisa laughed.

“It’s kind of a well-known thing,” Mick mumbled. “The news casts are kind of difficult to ignore. Did you see the most recent thing they were running on repeat?”

“Oh, the thing with the test pilot? Yeah. Oh my god! That tornado he made to get the debris to not hit the audience was so cool.”

Len downed his cocktail as Mick and his sister gushed over the news report. Mick liked the explosion the most while Lisa had noticed the bling on the audience members. The bits about Flash and the ‘Green Guy’ who’d helped him save the bystanders and the pilot were just a bit dimmed in comparison to those bits but they were there. Mick and Lisa liked Flash enough to never speak ill of him; especially not in front of Len.

He knew the kid’s identity and had a – somewhat uneasy – truce. The no killing rule gave a sweet challenge to them all – Mardon and Nimbus especially. Flash was pretty nice to his villains, if they didn’t piss him off too much. Flash had helped protect Lisa and Len from Lewis and had seemed willing to let the kill slide considering the situation. He was only rough with Mardon when Mardon was being a bit overzealous; to the point that the blood feud with West was on an indefinite hold.

Len muttered that he was going to get a real drink as the two continued to gush and laugh. Usually, it was fun to listen to stories about Flash taking down bad guys – even when it was somewhat embarrassing – or saving innocents. However, since Jax’s bursting into the _Waverider_ with the announcement that he and Flash had gotten to work with Martian Manhunter and Aquaman – whoever the fuck _they_ were – which lead to the follow-up that Flash was one of the _founding members_ of the Justice League.

Which, left Len cold.

He’d already heard about it being built up while he was recollecting himself, physically and mentally. Gideon had updated him on the date and current events when he’d gotten himself straightened out enough to walk out of the medical wing on the ship. She’d given the codenames of the top three – Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman – and stated that the League was extremely important to the timeline. Past that, he hadn’t known much.

As usual.

Hence, the cold in his veins.

“Hey Simone,” Len sighed. “Whiskey on the rocks. The Colorado brand if you’ve got it.”

“Stranahan’s on the rocks,” she smiled, tossing her over treated, bright pink hair from her shoulder.

He greatly preferred the older staff who had tattoos from when people put real murals on their skin and greying hair. The younger staff were all the irritating types of personalities that he’d wanted to avoid. Hipsters or whatever. He didn’t care for twenty-somethings flirting with him was the point. He especially disliked it when they had hair the color of the drinks his sister was forcing him to drink. Simone was the only one he liked for the simple reason that she didn’t flirt with him.

She flirted with Lisa. Clearly, the girl had better taste in partners than in hair treatments.

The drink arrived in moments, as the door opened again. The air changed as the door shut, the scent of ozone creeping through the place. Len glanced over to Mardon’s table to see the lightning starting to spark around the man, making McCulloch and Harkness lean away from him. Lisa skidded over to their booth and smacked the man upside the head. She hissed something at him, the table calming down a bit as two sets of feet tapped their way over to the bar. Len noticed Nimbus’ back go taut and let his eyes slip to the newcomers.

He managed to keep himself from falling off the stool as Barry and some guy – pretty boy type – took a pair of stools at the bar and ordered. Barry was in his usual image of a collared shirt, sweater, and a peacoat over jeans and tennis shoes. His… _friend_ had short cut brown hair, green eyes, broad shoulders, and a blinding smile that wasn’t as impressive as Barry’s. He was wearing cargo pants, combat boots, a white shirt, dog tags, and a jacket with loads of patches for military and flying.

There was a rather interesting looking class ring on the guy’s right hand too. All green and looked like it was made from jade or something. Len was far enough away to not be able to tell what symbols were on it and he couldn’t think of any school that was ritzy enough to shell out enough money for all jade rings. Hell, he couldn’t remember one that might be able to have a _student_ that would be rich enough to do something so blatantly overboard.

A few bandages peeked out from the sleeves of the jacket and the collar of his shirt too. Len wasn’t sure how to feel about those.

It took him a moment, the random guy’s eyes flitting around the place making him nervous, before he glanced around the bar. Everyone was nervous as Lisa continued to hover by Mardon who glared at Barry. Nimbus was glaring too though his expression was tame compared to Mardon’s. Len stood up, hand firm on his glass. He stepped over to his sister, greeting her with a soft kiss on the temple before settling a look at Mardon.

“Flash doesn’t need to be fast to stop you right now,” Len whispered. “What’s the unspoken rule?”

“No violence in the bar,” Mardon hissed, his jaw tightening a bit. A vein popped out on his neck. Len leaned forward, hand gripping Mardon’s shoulder.

“I’m not in the mood tonight,” Len whispered. “No violence. No bullshit.”

Mardon nodded, licking his lips.

“Finish your drinks and go home,” Len commanded. “Gentlemen, make sure he goes home.”

The other two nodded, eyes darting back towards the two newcomers. Len straightened and whispered for Lisa to go back to Mick. He moved back to the bar in time to hear Barry’s friend suggesting finding another place to drink.

“I mean, she just hit that guy,” the guy whispered.

“Hal, chill,” Barry said. “It’s not as if this place is a cop bar.”

“Yeah…Maybe we should drink at one of those?”

“Hal, I can’t drink around Joe right now,” Barry mumbled. “You nearly got killed in that crash the other day.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hal – god what a stupid fucking name – smiled. “Remember, I’ve got more than meets the eye going on.”

“Yeah,” Barry grumbled. “We’re partnered together more often than not. I think I’m allowed to be freaked out that you almost got killed.”

Partnered together? This guy wasn’t someone Len had seen around S.T.A.R. Labs. He wasn’t from Central either if the slight drawl in the man’s voice was anything to go off of. Same with that slight tan. Plus, the dog tags and the patches and the conversation piece made the mystery guy seem more likely to be a pilot. What sort of work could they be doing together?

“That’s why I suggested getting drinks,” Hal said. “Though, I wasn’t expecting the biker diver bar.”

“Ah, this place is okay,” Barry smiled. “The personalities are as eclectic as our co-workers.”

“Uh…not a good thing sometimes,” Hal groaned. “Remember who works with us.”

“He’s not that bad,” Barry chuckled. “A little eccentric but he works in Gotham. It’s fair for him to be like that, man. It’s a survival tool.”

“Still,” Hal mumbled.

“Just drink,” Barry laughed. “At least _you_ can get drunk.”

“You’re not missing much on that end, my friend,” Hal laughed, ruffling Barry’s hair.

The two continued to talk and drink, Mardon disappearing with Harkness and McCulloch as the two laughed over some sort of in joke. They stayed a while, the rest of the bar clearing out casually behind them. Hartley and Shawna stayed almost as long, Lisa and Mick having left earlier. Hartley actually went up to Barry and greeted him. Hal was quickly introduced as a friend with a cool job. Shawna was happy to flirt a bit before the two left, Shawna joking about finding Hartley a boy to play with.

“Okay, this place is a bit weird,” Hal chuckled. “But, good pricing.”

“Yep,” Barry smiled. “Come on, we should get you home.”

 “Aw, doesn’t your place have space?”

“You’d be on the couch.”

“Not the first time,” Hal laughed.

Before Len noticed, he was following the two at a discrete distance. He could still hear them though, the laughter irritating him beyond belief.

“Don’t you have a debriefing tomorrow morning?”

“I’ll be on time.”

“Not if you’re leaving my place.”

“You forget how fast I am,” Hal claimed, his hand rising to show off the ring on his closed fist. That giant smile was back, being returned with an even bigger one.

“I’m still faster on foot than you and that’s when you use the gravitational pull to your advantage,” Barry smirked. “Go home Hal. I’ll see you at the meeting.”

“So dull,” Hal sighed, the ring glowing a bright green light.

The light flowed over his fist, down his arm, and over his body. His casual clothes were covered over by a form fitting uniform that was green with black on the legs and arms and white gloves on his hands. On his chest was a white circle with a few green lines that looked sort of like a lantern.

It didn’t take much for Len to put two and two together. Green Lantern.

“See you, bud,” Hal chimed, his feet leaving the ground as a green halo surrounded him. “Don’t be a stranger though. You’re faster than the trains, so come visit.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Barry laughed, waving as Hall flew off.

“Have you lost your fucking mind, Scarlet?”

“Stalking me, Cold?”

“You’re the one stupid enough to go to a bar you know is my preferred hang out with some Justice League flunky,” Len shot back.

Barry rounded on him. Len took an instinctive step back at the sight of the kid glaring at him.

“Don’t belittle my co-workers.”

“And what about your job here?” Len asked.

“Which one, Snart?” Barry asked. “The CSI thing or the meta-human thing? Because I’m doing fine with both along with the League stuff. Thanks for the concern though. Good night.”

There was a whoosh of lightning and wind and Barry disappeared from the alleyway.

“That’s not the point,” Len mumbled, hand drifting to the gun on his hip. He wished he’d used it on that Hal guy. Maybe then, he’d have been able to make his point.


	2. Flash goes off to another planet

Wherever the hell Thanagar was, Len wanted to blow it bits.

He didn’t care about who the hell was being killed up there either. He didn’t care if some sort of civil war was being raged, being invaded by Martians – which are an actual _thing now_ – and he certainly didn’t care if the Hawks thought there was a chance to better themselves in in-air combat – which they needed to do but did that was beside the point. Chay-Ara and Carter were in so much trouble with him when they got back with Barry from whatever the hell it was they were dealing with.

How _dare_ they drag the Flash away from the planet when Len was finally ready for a heist?!

“Where the hell is it?” he bellowed.

Rip backed away from him with a placating hand up. Rex was shrinking behind the seats in the _Waverider_. Mick was standing in the doorway behind Len, likely looking like he was watching a car crash.

“Where is what?” Rip asked.

“Thanagar.”

“In the Polaris system,” Rex said.

“Take me there,” Len growled. “Now.”

“Uh…Don’t listen to – _oi_! Don’t point that thing at me!”

“Shut up Mick!”

“Gentlemen,” Rip roared. “Put the guns away and let’s talk.”

“He only wants to go there to yell at Flash for not stopping his heist,” Mick grumbled.

“…Are you kidding me?” Rex asked. “The hell would the point of that be? Doesn’t Flash have a kid he’s mentoring now? One who’s just as fast?”

“Kid Flash is _not_ just as fast as the Flash,” Len snarled. “He’s got maybe a fifth of the speed Flash has. He’s not as interesting either.”

“You’re just mad he brought those little friends of his,” Mick grumbled, stepping up to Len’s side.

“Oh?” Rip chimed, sounding all too interested for Len’s tastes. “Who came?”

“Uh…a kid with an ‘R’ on his chest, a guy who controlled water through what looked like magic, a guy who walked through the fire from my gun without a burn, and a girl with green skin and red hair,” Mick supplied. “That one changed into a freakin’ dragon at one point.”

“Robin, Aqualad, Superboy, and Miss Martian,” Rip smiled. “Good. The timeline’s moving about smoothly.”

“And you can tell this by who we had an encounter with?” Mick chuckled. “Seriously?”

“There are certain, possible timelines that, as you are aware, are more…favorable than others,” Rip explained.

“Yeah,” Mick grunted.

“Get on with it,” Len growled.

“The formation of the Young Justice League coincides with the formation of the Teen Titans which leads to several outcomes in the timeline. There are some things we won’t be able to help from happening but facing those situations will be somewhat easier if the right teams are built prior.”

“Alright, alright, timeline mumbo jumbo,” Mick said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “Still, help me out here and get him to calm down.”

“Mr. Snart,” Rip sighed, pressing his hands together as if praying. Len glared at him.

“I’m done with this nonsense,” Len snarled, raising the Cold Gun to Rip’s face. “Thanagar. Now.”

“We can’t go to Thanagar right now,” Rip sighed, hands falling to his sides. “They’re in the middle of an important treaty agreement that I cannot allow you and your jealousy to ruin.”

“I don’t care,” Len snarled. “He and I need to have a talk.”

“Mr. Snart!” Gideon bellowed, the whole ship shaking.

“What now?” Len yelled, turning to find Gideon’s holographic nose right up against his.

He leaned back slightly only to blink in amazement at the full bodied woman standing before him. She was actually glaring at him too. So much for her always smiling. Though, he could have done with even the semblance of holographic clothes. There was just enough detail to her – average – body type that had Len averting his eyes out of respect.

He wasn’t a prude but he did have a little sister.

“My creator is working very hard at his job,” she stated. “Give him the respect he deserves.”

“…Flash made you?” Len asked, his original intentions sidelined rather thoroughly.

“Yes and I will not allow you to jeopardize his timeline,” she stated in irritation, stepping towards him. “Allow him to finish this mission. He’ll return and speak with you when he is free.”

“…Flash made you,” Len mumbled.

“Don’t get hung up on it,” Rip sighed. “And, listen to her. She has a point. Without Flash present, bringing his particular brand of cheer along with him, the treaty being written may not be successful. It needs to be successful, otherwise, there could be continued war in the Polaris System. Besides, Mr. Hall and Miss Saunders could use a bit of assistance with in air combat.”

“Thanagar is also a very good place to get a hold of Nth metal weaponry,” Rex pointed out. “Their maces aren’t exactly strong enough for them.”

“But…”

“No, Mr. Snart,” Rip interrupted. “Go home. Drink some alcohol or whatever it is you do to relax. The Flash will return within the week and there’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Len pursed his lips and glared at Rip.

“My way of relaxing isn’t going to do much if he’s not here to give me the challenge.”

“Then you, sir, need a new set of hobbies.”


	3. Flash goes to Metropolis to help Superman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Len's seriously not jealous, guys. Seriously.

Superman’s most recent nonsense was replaying for the nineteenth time on the news. Len wasn’t even sure _which_ news station he was watching anymore because all of them were playing some version of the same footage. The angles were occasionally different but that was really about it. Nothing else was changing between the stations which left Len with the dizzying headache over which damn station he was even looking at.

The bits about Superman catching whatever falling debris were predominant in the news casts. It was the more constant thing the man was seen doing besides pulling kids from fires or plucking kittens from trees. The Big Blue Boy Scout was…stupidly powerful and stupidly boring.

Len wouldn’t want to go up against him thanks to the power disparity – gentle giant habits the man had aside – but would it kill Superman to _not_ blow holes into the buildings his enemies were holed up in? Len suspected the property damage in Metropolis was partly Superman’s fault considering how doors were a lost concept to the alien. Also, the morality the idiot lived by was just too goodie-two-shoes for Len. Superman was just too nice to be so powerful.

The man could level a building without breaking a sweat but he spent most of his time being a political pawn or reading to orphans.

Maybe his home planet didn’t have doors? No, that couldn’t be it. According to the _Daily Planet_ article/expose on Superman there was something about the sunlight that made his powers work. If it was that simple, it was possible that Superman’s planet was different enough to cause the biological strangeness that he had in this planet. Maybe on his home planet, he was as normal as anyone without powers on this planet.

Not that Len cared one way or another.

Superman was the obvious moral compass of the League and was the poster boy of what the League stood for; all that was good and all that crap. To Len, it was _Barry_ who kept the League aware of its moral compass. Him and maybe the paranoid maniac from Gotham – who seemed to have the best, and only slightly shaky on a bad day, relationship with his protégé – were the moral compasses of the team in their own capacities. The guy from Gotham was paranoid enough to make contingency plans should his teammates go rogue. Barry could talk his teammates down and get them to look at things from another angle.

Still, why Superman needed Barry to help him with a simple fire in Metropolis was something Len couldn’t quite understand.

Toyman had blown up a few things, sure. Some parts of a suspended construction rig – if not the whole rig itself – had been destabilized while a fire broke out in the building. Superman caught the rig and placed it safely on the ground in an empty lot nearby. He fished out the driver and blew out the fire that was threatening the rig’s tank. Meanwhile, Flash zipped into the burning building, rescued everyone from within, and then use his tornado arms to put out the fire.

There were a few stills and rolling reels of Barry and Superman shaking hands as that Hal guy landed nearby, Toyman in his neon green restraints. Len especially didn’t care for the reels because that Hal guy greeted the two with that giant smile of his. The three were all friendly fist bumps to the shoulders and handshakes and too close proximity to one another. It was irksome to watch on _every damn channel_ he went to. He still hadn’t gotten to talk about how stupid it was of Barry to bring Hal to the bar let alone how irritating it was that Barry had gone off planet without giving common courtesy that he was leaving.

Not that Len gave a damn.

“You’re going to break the screen,” Lisa complained, smacking him with a pillow.

“I’ll get you a new plasma if I do,” he mumbled as Hal bumped Barry’s shoulder with a fist _again_.

He almost threw the remote at the thirty-nine-inch screen when a new reel meandered over it. Hal threw an arm over Barry’s shoulders, Barry doing the same, and let a little girl take a photo of them together. The reporter was gushing over how thankful the city was that the superheroes had been able to save the day while Superman joined them, another photo-op occurring.

“I keep forgetting how skinny Flash is until he’s sandwiched between beefcakes like those two,” Lisa crooned, fanning herself with a magazine subscription insert.

“The Lantern isn’t _that_ ripped,” Len grumbled.

“Yeah well, Flash definitely has a runner’s physique,” Lisa smirked. “All lithe lines and such.”

“Sis, stop,” Len growled.

“But Lenny,” she whined. “Look at them! He looks like a high schooler next to those guys!”

She had a point, much as Len was loathe to admit. Barry was absolutely tiny compared to the two men he was standing between. Superman was farm boy tall and broad as a barn. Hal was well built all around, though his arms and chest were a bit more built than his legs. Hal was maybe an inch taller than Barry while Superman had at least three on him.

A few more filler reels filtered through the channels of kids and other random citizens taking pictures of the three heroes. Barry took a few selfies with the kids while Hal blatantly flirted with the passing women. Superman was filmed talking to a female reporter and her Irish descendent photographer in the distance. There were some flirtations happening over there too. Only Barry had enough sense to not flirt while on the job.

“Of course he takes pictures with kids,” Lisa smiled softly. “I bet he’d put a wheelchair kid onto his shoulders if they asked.”

“That’s a Superman thing,” Len grunted.

“Oh, look at the pretty blonde hanging herself off his arm!” Lisa said, her tone disgusted. “No one explained what pancake make-up is?”

“No need to try to make me feel better,” Len muttered. “I don’t care. Man’s got needs and all that.”

Though, the girl hanging off of Barry’s arm really did have too much make-up on her face. Her nails were glaringly long acrylics too.

“Yeah but that chick’s just trying to get her claws into him,” Lisa grumbled.

“Look at that cougar go,” Mick crowed, leaning on the back of the couch. “You’re right about the claws though. Things could take an eye out.”

“How does he not get crap in his eyes when he’s running?”

“Probably has some sort of lenses that retract when he’s not running,” Mick theorized.

“Maybe,” Lisa sighed as Barry and Hal shook hands with Superman and each other. Hal and Superman flew off while Barry disappeared in a trail of lightning.

“So stupid,” Len huffed as he rose from the couch. “I’m getting a drink. You two want anything?”

“No,” Lisa called. “Don’t overdo it, Lenny.”

“Take your cell,” Mick called. “If you get shitfaced, I’ll drive you home.”

“I won’t get shitfaced then,” Len huffed as he threw on the parka. He strapped his gun to his leg before marching out of the safe house. He made sure his cell was in a pocket though. He wasn’t going to give the two of them reason to bitch.

He was about three blocks away from his favorite dive bar when Barry skidded to a halt in front of him. The kid’s hair was casually windblown – a look Len was beginning to think Barry just welded his hair into just to keep the questions to a minimum – and he was in his usual civilian threads. The shoes must have been specially coated with something to not catch fire though considering the skidding stop.

“Hey,” Barry said with a wave and a smile. “Your sister called Vibe while I was off planet. I hope you didn’t give Kid a hard time while I was away.”

“You son of a bitch,” Len grunted. “You let the kids deal with us while you wandered off.”

“I went to another planet, Snart,” Barry sighed. “Not to another city.”

“And before that, you brought a co-worker to _Saints and Sinners_ ,” Len continued. “What the hell were you thinking, Scarlet? I know his identity now and you’ve got nothing to keep my mouth shut about it.”

“Yet…you haven’t said anything,” Barry mused. “Look, I only came because Vibe was getting nervous with how often your sister was calling. You’re clearly fine though so…Whatever.”

Barry turned to leave and Len snatched at his arm.

“I’m not finished, Scarlet,” Len grumbled. “You and I have a deal. I’ve been keeping my end up. What about you? You’re _never_ in town anymore which means my team and I aren’t getting a challenge.”

“You don’t need me to provide you with a challenge, Leonard,” Barry sighed. “Plus, I _am_ in town. More often than you think.”

“That’s crap and you-,” Len started only to be interrupted as Kendra landed behind them. She was in full uniform, a smile gracing her features.

“Barry!” she called, arms outstretched wide, her wings arching away from her back.

“Chay-Ara!” Barry laughed, wrenching himself free of Len’s hold to leap towards her.

His arms wrapped around her waist as her arms snaked around his neck. Len almost had a slight panic attack as her wings snapped to encircle him.

“Watch the wings,” he mumbled.

The two glanced at him with slight confusion before soft laughter erupted from their lips.

“This is how Thanagarians hug,” Kendra chuckled, lifting one of her wings so Barry could turn to face him. Her other wing remained plastered around him.

“Learned it on our trip,” Barry laughed.

“Hey, what’re you doing here?” Kendra asked Barry. “Is big, mean Captain Cold bullying you? I can take him.”

“Nah,” Barry laughed. “Just…Checking in so Vibe won’t have to worry about Glider calling him all the time.”

“Been acting funny enough to worry your sister?” Kendra asked.

“Who the hell is Vibe?” Len huffed.

“You beat my identity out of him,” Barry stated.

“…Are you kidding me?”

“And, he’s a League member,” Kendra said. “Quite good, actually.”

“Of _course_ Ramon is a League member.”

“Where’re you going?”

“I’m getting shitfaced,” Len yelled back.


	4. Flash has a friend he's showing around the precinct for clearly no reason

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else remember the JLU series and when Wally flirted with Fire? Yeah...Barry's turn.

The police precinct was one of those places Len preferred to avoid.

However, Rip had finally gotten them all something to do and he and Mick were the only ones who could actually pull off the entitled swagger of a cop. They’d seen it often enough that they could emulate it to perfection. Sara and Jax had made a few jabs at them for the talent that went ignored.

Jax was too young looking to have made it out of the academy. Stein had too big a vocabulary to be anything _but_ a lab rat. Kendra was still nervous about the last time they’d had her in a uniform. Sara wanted to play lookout. Carter wasn’t sure he could pull off the uniform. Palmer was just too famous to allow into the building since he’d returned from the dead in their time and was still making a name for himself with the micro-shrinkage technology. Rex wasn’t available for some reason either.

So, he and Mick dressed the parts and shoved the hats down as far as they could to avoid being recognized. Gideon had made – or found – them identities and had had them practice signatures. He hoped she’d just made the identities. Otherwise, they’d likely be burning some cops. He probably shouldn’t care about such a thing – he had a reputation to uphold – but it seemed like he should at least be concerned. The revelation of Barry being the one who made Gideon left Len concerned that any upheaval at Barry’s workplace would undo any progress he was making with her.

Not that he should care. Gideon practically ran the _Waverider_. The Legends needed her. Rip needed her to stay sane. That was why he cared.

He sauntered through the precinct while Mick went about securing the item they needed from evidence. There was another item that was up in the lab that he was apparently to make sure didn’t get tested. According to Rip, it was near the lunch hour and the lab techs shouldn’t be in the building. Mick had the easier job though. The evidence locker was easier to get into. There were fewer people on the way there than in comparison to the lab.

His hand hovered at the lab doorknob, unsure how he felt about entering what was undoubtedly Barry’s territory. The kid may own S.T.A.R. Labs but that was for his Flash stuff – even if, during this time, some of the lab work of the kid’s day job was done at S.T.A.R. – and this room was definitely Barry’s.

There was no question of that.

“This is such a cute lab,” a lovely contralto voice chimed from behind the door. There was an accent there, possibly Brazilian if Len’s ears weren’t screwing with him.

“Thanks,” Barry chuckled. He was probably scratching the back of his head.

Len slammed the knob down, shoving the door open.

“Can I help you?” Barry asked. He looked a little older than Len remembered him to be. The lab might have had a few upgrades too but Len wasn’t really paying attention to that stuff.

The woman standing next to Barry was, in all regards, not someone Len would have expected to be around here. Seafoam green hair, held back by a dark green scarf, the tail framing the left side of her face. She was wearing a tube top and some spray-on pants that were also dark green, a few lighter green details dancing over the slips of cloth. There was a pretty set of accessories on her that must have been made of emeralds. Dangling earrings and a chunky bracelet and necklace played off her olive skin in a rather striking manner.

“I’m looking for that thing found at the Romero crime scene,” Len stated, his eyes fixed on Barry.

“Should I wait outside?” the woman asked.

“It’s alright Bea,” Barry said. “I know what he’s after and I already took care of it. This won’t take long and we’ll get back to the tour.”

“Alright,” Bea stated, an uneasy glace towards Len making him grit his teeth at her.

“Officer,” Barry called, his voice light enough to seem like this was a casual conversation with a co-worker but there was a firmness there. One that could speak to an uneasy working environment. It could go along with Len’s over the top entrance and curt interaction.

“Showing a model around,” Len whispered as Barry dragged something from an evidence box. It looked like a knife of some sort. “Didn’t think you had it in you, Scarlet.”

“Sure,” Barry mumbled, handing the knife over. “Take it and tell Rip I said hello.”

“Who says I’m here with Rip?”

“You’re about five years too young,” Barry sighed.

“…You do any tests on it? I have to take those results if you did.”

“No,” Barry stated. “I can recognize Nth metal from a mile away, Snart.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Len sighed, turning the bagged knife over in his hands.

“You should go,” Barry stated. “Rip will want that.”

Someone rapped on the door then, Barry inviting them in. Mick poked his head in, blanching at the woman in the room before looking to Len.

“We getting over to the Sergeant?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Len stated. He saluted the knife at Barry. “Thanks, Lab Rat.”

He turned to walk away only to have his collar grabbed. He was yanked around and forced to meet Bea’s smoldering green eyes. He almost cursed at the actual fire sparking from her eyes as well as the flowing fire that had taken the place of her hair. Mick whistled.

“Never call him that,” she snarled.

“Fire,” Barry barked, lightning sparking from his body as it vibrated.

“F-Flash,” she stammered.

“Leave them be,” Barry stated, calm and collected. “They’re with Rip Hunter right now.”

Her hand slipped from Len’s uniform and she backed away from him like he’d managed to burn her. The fire went out as she stepped up to Barry, a gentle hand falling on his shoulder. He stopped vibrating and gave her a soft smile.

“I’m fine, Fire,” he whispered, patting her hand. “Don’t worry about me. We have a tour to finish, don’t we?”

“If you’re sure,” she said. She turned to glare at Len and Mick. “Get out before I burn you out.”

“Fire,” Barry groaned.

“I like fire,” Mick mumbled. Bea, Fire, whatever her fucking name was, went up in a flash. What was it with Barry and he green loving friends?

“That’s Heatwave,” Barry said. Her fiery form dimmed a bit.

“The pyromaniac?” she asked.

“Yeah though…he has moments with pyrophilia.”

“I do not,” Mick snapped.

“Uh…Oh, right. Five years of difference,” Barry laughed. “Give it a year or two. You’ll get it.”

“Cute,” Len huffed. “Is she another League member?”

“…I’m beginning to think again about talking her down from beating the crap out of your friend, Rory,” Barry sighed.

“Isn’t he just adorable when he’s jealous?” Mick laughed. “Get back to your days. We’ll get out of your hair.”

Mick’s heavy hand grabbed Len’s collar and yanked him backwards.

“See you around, Flash,” Mick said with a wave.

“See ya,” Barry chimed with a soft smile.

“Stop pulling me,” Len snarled as they were about to enter the heavy traffic areas. “We have to keep up appearances, remember?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mick laughed.

They hit the bottom of the stairs just in time for Barry and Bea to exit the lab. The two were laughing at the top of the other side of the double stairs, Barry all bright and Bea jaw dropping gorgeous. Len tugged the cap down and marched away.

“What’s up with him?” Jax asked as Len slammed the knife down on the desk. Mick placed his item down more gently as Len glared at Rip. The time traveler sighed and waved at him to go ahead.

“Who the hell is Fire?”

“A member of the Justice League,” Rip sighed. “She’s got a complimentary partner, Ice. Anything else?”

“Oh, just a bout of jealousy,” Mick laughed.

“I’m not jealous,” Len snarled.

“He’s jealous that Flash has friends in the League,” Kendra laughed.

“I’m not jealous,” Len growled.

“Well, don’t take it out on those of us who _are_ in the League,” Jax mumbled.

“I’m not…Fuck you.”


	5. Flash is flirting with some woman when he should be stopping a villain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeah...I can't write flirting and Barry rambling is also not one of my strengths.

“Who the hell is _she_?” Len hissed.

“Zatanna,” Lisa responded. “Daughter of Zatara and member of the Justice League. She might be on one of the occult oriented teams too.”

“Oh,” Mick drawled as he and Lisa dragged their guns from the backpacks.

It was supposed to be an incognito sort of day. Lisa wanted a whole new wardrobe and Mick was only willing to help her carry things if Len came along as well. They weren’t shopping in Central either. They’d gone out of their way to go all the way to Detroit due to having to lay low from one of their recent heists. Once again, Kid Flash and a small crew of little friends had been the ones to attempt stopping them. Yet, there had been a couple new faces who didn’t quite mesh with the team which made their escape easier.

Instead, they were fishing their guns from backpacks while having taken cover in an alleyway while a kid with electric powers and Zatanna attempted to corner some sort of behemoth and an Indian woman. Civilians were running about like headless chickens.

“She’s kind of cute,” Mick shrugged.

“I _love_ her jacket,” Lisa gushed.

“Another one?” Len grumbled as he wrestled his gun free of the backpack he had. “How many people are in the League, anyway?”

“Several,” Lisa drawled. “They have several sections; from what I hear.”

“Perfect,” Len grunted.

“Here we go,” Mick chuckled.

“Let’s just help her deal with this guy, alright?” Len huffed.

“Her, Static,” Lisa smirked as a breeze and a sparking of lightning flashed past their hiding place, “and Flash.”

“Fucking League,” Len growled. The stench of ozone burned his nose for a moment, a familiar sounding sigh emanating from the alley opening.

“Oh, hey Flash,” Lisa chimed. Mick even waved.

“I’d ask but…I don’t want to know,” Flash sighed, pressing his knuckles to the bridge of his nose. “Look, Jinx and Mammoth tend to give the Titans and the YJ a tough time when they aren’t working together. Static could use some help with Mammoth. Zatanna’s pretty evenly matched. Some well-timed shots, and this’ll end pretty quickly and you guys can go back to whatever you’re doing.”

“You’re so sweet,” Lisa cooed as Zatanna went flying. Barry disappeared in a flash. “Oh, he caught her.”

“You two okay?!” Static yelled.

“We’re good!” Barry called as he set Zatanna on her feet. “Well, I am. Zatanna?”

“I’m fine,” she smiled. “Thanks for the quick response.”

“Fastest Man,” Barry crooned, hands on his hips. “Hey, we’ve gotten unexpected backup. You mind?”

“Captain Cold, Heatwave, and Golden Glider,” she breathed as Static landed by Barry. “We could use the help. Though…You know I can whip up some man power without too much hassle.”

“You guys have to see what she can do,” Static smiled.

“Ease up on the fangasm, kid,” Len huffed. “Stay out of my way, little lady.”

“Uh…Which one are you aiming at?” Barry asked.

“The woman,” he growled.

“Power over elements,” Zatanna warned.

“Stay out of my way,” Len grumbled as he pulled the trigger. The blast made it about halfway to Jinx before she called up part of the street as a shield. The shield shifted to the side just enough for Len to spot the smirk on Jinx’s face before she hurtled the rock at him.

“Trapa llaf kcor eht ekam!”

Len coughed as a cloud of dust exploded in his face, his eyes stinging at the dirt that flew into them.

“Man, I wish I could talk backwards,” Barry smiled. “I mean, sure, I can run fast but…I can’t do things backwards. It’d be so cool if I could!”

Zatanna smiled at him, tossing her black hair over her shoulder. “Just a skill,” she shrugged.

“An amazing skill!” Barry gushed.

“Heatwave?” Static chimed. “Wanna take down the nearly indestructible guy with me?”

“I’ll miss this show for that,” Mick snorted, powering up the gun.

“Show?”

“I’m not jealous,” Len growled.

“Uh-huh,” Lisa laughed. “How’s this bitch with gold?”

“Let’s go see,” Barry smiled.

“Well, before we go,” Zatanna smiled, waving her hands around. A rune pattern appeared in front of her in glowing magenta. “Snoisulli etaerc!”

A whirlwind swept around them, white smoke whisking around them. It cleared as quickly as it had been summoned, revealing at least six doubles, one for each of them. The original practically blinded the rest of them with his smile.

“So cool,” he gushed.

“Gag me,” Len huffed. “Do your damn job, Flash.”

“…He’s kind of cute when he’s being jealous,” Zatanna laughed.

“He _is_!” Lisa laughed.

“Not jealous.”

“You’re the one that brought it up first,” Zatanna smirked. Barry patted her shoulder.

“Don’t tease him,” Barry snickered. “He’s sensitive.”

“…I’m going to go freeze those two,” Len declared.

He didn’t get to freeze more than a limb or two though. It was all grazing hits too, which left him irritated. Mick and Lisa had gotten far more hits in on both Mammoth and Jinx, Zatanna recreating the decoys whenever one got smacked into a puff of smoke. Barry’s copies got swatted more often than not due to their lack of speed. Static’s copies weren’t able to get quite as much height on short notice as he was either.

“Can you teach me to talk backwards?” Barry asked once the two miscreants were loaded up.

Len, Lisa, and Mick were in an alleyway, Zatanna’s illusions making them invisible to the authorities on Barry’s request. Static and Zatanna were brushing off their shoulders.

“Could you teach me how to run backwards?” Zatanna giggled.

“I can’t even run backwards,” Barry blushed.

“I bet you’d be great at it,” Zatanna smiled.

“Get a room,” Static, the youngest in this whole group, groaned.

“Yes,” Len growled.

“See?” Lisa laughed. “He’s adorable.”

“Only when he’s jealous,” Zatanna chuckled. She turned back to Barry. “Well, I taught Nightwing. I could probably teach you.”

“ _Sweet_!”

“Gag me.”

“Then get lost,” Barry sighed.

“Shopping!” Lisa cried, clapping her hands. “You two were taking me shopping!”

“Have fun, Lisa,” Barry smiled with a wave.

“You too, sweetheart!”

“Quit dragging me!”

Barry, Zatanna, and Static waved at them as Mick and Lisa marched him away. They were rounding the corner when Len spotted Zatanna press a kiss to Barry’s cheek.

“I hate the League.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm working on the Batman chapter. Time travel has been involved! Hahaha!


	6. Batman explains something about the League

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce Wayne, Terry McGinnis, Matt McGinnis and The Legends.  
> Suggested that Terry isn't necessarily stable FYI.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are references to the JLA, JLUA, and Batman Beyond here. This chapter is over ten narrow margin pages in word. Have fun.

The Wayne Mansion, by some strange stroke, seemed more and more like an abandoned castle on the hill as the _Waverider_ landed in the place’s backyard. There weren’t any lights on and the landscaping had been left to its own devices, running rampant and unchecked. Rip cloaked the ship, muttering to himself at speed, and proceeded outside. The team – Jax, Stein, Sara, Rex, Mick, and Len – followed him in what could be considered ‘casual’ wear. Len curled into his parka as the wind from the cliffs blasted against him, Mick doing some of the same with his own coat.

“We’re _really_ going to wait out front in this wind?” Sara yelled, arms pinned to her sides as wisps of stray hair fluttered about from her bun.

“I promise, we shan’t be waiting long,” Rip called over his shoulder, marching with a rather impressive amount of determined purposefulness that made Len wonder what the hell he was hiding _this time._

They followed him, Jax and Stein transforming to give those who didn’t have fluffy jackets some warmth. Len glared down towards the city of Gotham – Neo-Gotham as Gideon had called it – wishing they hadn’t landed during the winter months. The whole city was decked in green and red lights, twinkling specks blinking about in darkened windows of offices and apartments, and those stupid blowup things glowing in the dark from rooftops and dark yards off in the distance. The clock on one of the old towers downtown was at _just_ the right angle that Len could note the time.

They were edging on five in the evening as their little team gathered together on the intimidating stone steps of the front drive. Sara stood near enough to Firestorm to stay warm, forcing the amalgamation to shield her from the brunt of the wind as Mick leaned against the stone bannister. Rip and Rex stood near the foot of the steps, Rex glancing towards Firestorm as if waiting for an invitation. Len ventured to sit on the stone banister away from them all, gritting his teeth at the stinging bite that clawed past his purpose made pants without hesitation. A booming bark sounded at them through the window, a set of teeth flashing in the darkness.

“How long are we not waiting?” Len asked as the fifteenth minute of sitting in the cold dragged past.

Rex had abandoned Rip completely in favor of warmth. Even Mick had sidled a little closer and Len was getting very temped. The dog within the mansion hadn’t stopped barking at them save for the rounds of growling. The thing barked thunder and growled like an earthquake. Len almost wondered if it was some sort of mutant. Superboy had adopted a mutated wolf. Why not an eccentric billionaire?

“Here they come,” Rip proclaimed, headlights beaming past the iron bars of the front gate.

“Thank god,” Sara grumbled, running her hands over her arms.

“Also,” Rip stated, nervous and twitching. “There is a good chance that all three of them know of me in some manner. I know there’s little to no chance that…the owner of this mansion _doesn’t_ know who I am. Do not react to how I might be greeted…Please.”

“Thought you said we were going to talk to a League member for this stupid relic,” Len growled.

“We are,” Rip stated, the long limo pulling forward through the drive. Rip rubbed his hands together, wringing them as the car pulled to a stop. “And he kept files on everyone.”

The engine was cut, clicking in adamant hate for the cold against its warmth, and a young man dragged himself free from the driver’s seat. He looked about twenty with short, black hair and piercing, blue eyes against pale skin. He straightened a grey scarf around his neck, zipping the tails under his brown jacket as he walked around the limo. Brown shoes crunched in the frosted weeds and gravel, jeans well fitted to his lean legs. He didn’t round to the passenger door though.

He walked straight towards Rip, leather gloves squeaking as his hands balled up into fists. Len nearly leapt off the stone but he wanted to see what this kid was going to do more than he wanted to try to stop it. Rip snapped himself into a ramrod straight stance, heels pressed against each other and arms pinned to his sides.

It was a bad stance to take when he _clearly_ knew what was going to happen.

The kid’s arm snapped up and back before snapping forward, landing square against Rip’s jaw with a crack. The kid’s body followed through with the motion all the way down to pivoting his hips. Rip jerked backwards and landed on the steps with a yelp, his flailing arms of no use to him thanks to his feet.

“Fucker,” the kid spat, smoothly turning away and marching back to the car.

Rex collected Rip as Sara glared at the kid. Len watched in slight awe as the kid simply opened the passenger door as if he _hadn’t_ just punched someone in front of – the person who was likely – his boss. A simple tan backpack was handed over to the kid and slung over his shoulder as a smaller boy popped out of the car.

This one had a very similar look to the other, leaving Len to think of familial similarities the way he did whenever he saw the West family. This boy was maybe fourteen and his eyes were brown instead of blue. He was in a puffy jacket, the kind Len would have bundled Lisa into when she was six, a scarf, a hat, and mittens over blue jeans and snow boots. He straightened a blue backpack onto his shoulders, tucking his nose under the scarf as he did.

“Matt,” a voice from within the limo intoned, calm and mesmerizing. “Go inside and calm Ace down. He’ll bark himself hoarse if we don’t do something.”

“Okay,” the child chimed. He took a couple steps towards the stairs before he took in the crowd before him. Len held back a smile as the kid stalled and glanced up at Rip’s attacker for reassurance.

“Go on,” the young man said, his eyes betraying his lack of trust as they bore into the group. Matt rushed forward, skipping icy looking steps as he went. He unlocked and ducked inside, his backpack catching against the doors he’d barely opened.

Probably attempting to keep the dog inside.

“Mr. Wayne,” Rip said as Rex finally managed to get him back on his feet. He was cradling his cheek as he spoke, looking a little green as his attacker’s gaze dropped to him like an anvil.

“Rip Hunter,” the voice boomed, an older gentleman slipping from the limo.

Bruce Wayne had aged gracefully, cane, white hair, and wrinkles aside. He was in a suit, a long, white scarf hanging from his shoulders. He stepped forward, feet placed carefully, and the young man shoved the limo door closed.

“You’re here because you want something,” Wayne stated.

“Actually,” Rip coughed, hand falling away from his cheek to straighten his coat. “We need to find something and move it to a safer locale. You understand. Relics such as the ones I deal with should not be left in untrained hands, after all.”

“You’re babbling,” Wayne huffed, moving past Rip without a pause. “Mick Rory.”

“…What?”

“I hear you cook.”

Len sent his friend a ‘ _Don’t ask me_ ’ look, complete with a shrug.

“…So?”

“We haven’t eaten yet,” Wayne explained. “Something tells me you lot are also starved. Besides, it’s cocktail and homework hour.” He leveled a glare at Rip. “This conversation will be held after the boys have been fed, Hunter. Non-negotiable.”

“Yeah,” Mick mumbled. “I cook.”

“Good,” Wayne said, a smile gracing his features. It was very business looking, not meeting his eyes past what needed to be met. There was no real emotion there but the man made sure there was still some sort of feeling present. No wonder he could face down Luthor with just a smile.

“You get to help me then,” the young man stated.

“Can’t cook, Junior?” Sara sneered.

“Terry,” the young man stated. “I tend to cook for three and a dog. There’s seven of you. Plus…It’s a roast. I do steaks and burgers.”

“He does very good London broil if you’re curious, Miss Lance,” Wayne stated, opening the large front door with a flick of his wrist. “Jax, if you and Stein could start the fire for us before separating, that would be very helpful. The heating in this old place can be a bit uneven.”

“Sure,” Jax replied, his back going straight. “…Shut up, old man!” He blinked. “Not you, Sir!”

Wayne smirked and went inside. Terry stepped up and patted Jax’s shoulder.

“Tell Stein he scares everyone,” Terry smiled.

“He doesn’t scare me,” Sara stated. Terry glanced at her, expression wholly unimpressed.

“Have you _met_ him?” Terry asked. Sara sniffed at him, blinking uneasily when the kid just stared back blandly and unimpressed. “Guess not.”

“I’m going to help Mick and…Terry, was it?” Len chimed, instantly disliking how Sara’s eyes narrowed and her lips puckered into what she thought was a pursed expression. Something about the current situation felt a bit too much like they’d been dropped into a mine field. He would bet he didn’t want to find the shrapnel.

“Yes,” the kid replied. “C’mon.”

The inside of the mansion was, as Len expected it to be. Glorious and somehow dank at the same time. There was dust in the unreachable – without a serious ladder, at least – spaces and cobwebs in the lights. The day room to the right was lit brightly against the chill but there were items upstairs - as well as on the ground floor front parlor - that were covered in sheets that were brown and yellowed with dust and age.

The place had seen better days.

The kitchen, sort of like the well-lit day room, was cleaned to sparkling. It had probably stayed clean due to Wayne needing to eat like most humans did. Len, still unsure how the supposed League member had any connection to Wayne, was happy to assume that Wayne had bankrolled someone. Maybe, the whole Bat Family had been supported by Wayne and any anonymous donations the man may have made to them.

The kid pointed at a roast as Len took a seat at the breakfast bar, his jacket and scarf tossed over the back of a tall chair near the breakfast bar. The light hit on light scars that run over his arms, some hiding under the hems of his t-shirt. All of them looked like defensive scars save a circular scar that mirrored each side of his left bicep. That one looked like a gunshot wound. Strange thoughts tried to rise through Len’s head before he quashed them.

The roast was well seasoned and the kid dragged some easily made set of vegetables and potatoes from the pantry as Mick eyed the kitchen and set about snooping for what he wanted to do with the meat. The brand new looking oven was quickly filled with the roast, Mick cracking open some sort of beer that had been hidden in the fridge. Len opted to remain sober – still not approving of just how far down the bottle Mick had gone while he was away – while Terry fixed the vegetables and potatoes and Mick glared at the oven for taking too long to preheat.

“What’s the history with Rip and Wayne?” Len asked as Mick, while still drinking, cut the finished roast. He sipped at a glass of water, eyeing the cheese sauce Terry had made for the brussels sprouts.

“From what I understand, it’s long and complicated,” Terry shrugged.

“How about your history with him, then?” Len huffed. “Also, which League member are we meeting here?”

Terry shot him a glare that shifted at light speed to confusion.

“Rip’s about…ten years younger than I remember him as,” Terry mumbled, stirring half a stick of butter into the potatoes. “And that was…last year. A few months later, Matt and I were moving into the mansion. Few weeks after that, I learned it was Rip’s fault because he wanted to keep something from happening for insert reasoning here. Of course…it rippled outward and affected everyone else.”

“…Timeline sort of does that?” Mick mumbled, hands spinning the bottle around as if he were trying to wring it into a pulp.

“Yeah…And the lag sucks,” Terry muttered as he transferred the vegetables to the plates. The potatoes were quickly added to the plates. A few slices of roast were distributed around the plates by Mick as Len continued to try to glare the kid into talking.

“That one looks a bit light,” Mick mumbled, moving to put another slice on said plate. Terry snatched it up in a beat, carrying it and another plate to the door.

“I don’t eat much,” Terry muttered, backing out the door. “Food’s ready!”

There was a shout of joy off in the distance, the sound pulling a genuine smile onto Terry’s face. It was a very nice look on the kid.

The meal wasn’t had in what Len could call ‘peace’ but it wasn’t as if this were the tensest situation he’d ever been in the middle of either. Sara was still trying to kill Wayne with her eyes while Jax was trying very hard to not make himself noticeable. Stein was, strangely, oblivious to the social cues around him as he lectured Matt on science and…such. Rip continued to look green, his jaw turning a glorious molting purple, while Rex just ate in silence. Wayne was ignoring Sara while Terry and Matt were in their own little world, hushed whispers between each other. The monstrous dog – a light eating black Dane – lay near the boys’ feet.

“Why can’t I stay up with you guys?” Matt asked once he finished his meal. Terry had finished at about the same time despite having less food on his plate.

“Bus your plate and go to bed,” Terry stated. “Take Ace with you.”

“But I wanna stay up and find out about the thing they’re looking for,” Matt whined.

“Matt,” Wayne stated.

“…Okay.”

“Little harsh,” Sara sneered as Matt disappeared upstairs with the dog. “Clearly, he’s aware of what’s going on here. Besides, I stayed up all the time when I was his age.”

“He is not you,” Wayne stated as Terry swept up his dinner set. The rest of the table had been cleared during Terry’s attempts to get Matt to go upstairs.

Len gave a furtive glance toward the grandfather clock in the main hall, blinking at the hour. It was nearly nine at night. They’d landed here nearly three hours ago and making dinner hadn’t taken all _that_ long. Nor had dinner, quiet and stilted as it had been. He glanced back to Wayne to find the man speaking in hushed tones to Terry. He went silent and Terry shifted to stand on his right like a guard.

“Tell me what relic you’re looking for, Hunter,” Wayne stated, hands folded over the crook of his cane. He looked like an old king, his heir standing at his side.

“It’s a simple bobble,” Rip said, attempting to seem calm save for the fact that his green around the gills was clashing with the molting color of his jaw. “A collapsible staff that can temporarily slow time to a near standstill. The person holding it can move freely.”

“To do whatever it is the Time Masters required them to do.”

Len pressed his back against the back of the chair with unease. He would probably never forgive the Time Bastards for their brainwashing Mick into being their best bounty hunter. To think there was a weapon that would have given Mick free reign to just walk up to them and kill them before they could blink and the pricks hadn’t given it to him. Why? They’d been rather adamant about having Rip stopped so why would they hamper the one person who wanted the Legends dead more than they did?

“…Yes,” Rip coughed.

“Popular tool of the Time Masters’ version of the Suicide Squad?” Terry asked.

Len blinked, understanding dawning on him. The old king and his heir metaphor was more accurate than he’d realized. Where Wayne hadn’t asked a question, Terry _had_. Wayne didn’t seem to _need_ to ask the question that his statement could have become. Terry _did_.

“You’re the Leaguer,” Len breathed. Wayne smirked.

“Nice to meet you,” Wayne smiled. “Again.”

“I haven’t met you,” Len snarled.

“You’ve heard of him,” Rip murmured.

“Oh?” Mick asked.

“You’re in Gotham,” Jax mumbled. “There’s not many possibilities on which hero he could be.”

“Says you,” Len growled.

“Let’s just say bats are my favorite animal next to dogs,” Wayne stated. “This relic, on the other hand. What makes you think it’s _here_?”

Rip swallowed thickly, leaning forward to rest his weight on the table.

“Gideon believes it to be here,” Rex stated.

“That’s sweet,” Wayne stated, voice suddenly made from syrup. “Let’s remember which version of Gideon is in my cave.”

Rip went pale then, head bobbing as he tried to swallow again.

“I’ve met Asher,” Rip murmured. “I’m also _very_ aware that Asher and Gideon were specifically made to _not_ communicate with each other short of some earth shattering event. Something that rarely occurs.”

“And you know _why_ Asher was made.”

Again. Not a question.

“Yes,” Rip mumbled.

“The rest of the League never really forgave me for those files,” Wayne stated. He blinked then, eyes flashing upwards as his head bent to the side. “Actually, Allen did. He got them to forgive it too.”

Rip scoffed then, throwing himself back in the seat.

“Of _course_ ,” Rip grumbled.

“Careful, Hunter,” Wayne stated, voice like steel. “You’re the one who brought the men who beat Allen’s identity out of Ramon, risked Allen’s reputation at his work for a deal _they_ didn’t follow through on, are known as murderers, and are…many other things that I cannot list because _they_ haven’t experienced those situations yet. You do not get to bitch about his forgiving streak.”

“Mr. Allen has more than a forgiving streak.”

“It’s funny how I can’t take said forgiving streak for granted while _you_ seem able to,” Wayne stated as he rose from the chair. “Terry has a patrol to do and _we_ have an AI to talk to.”

“Right,” Rip coughed, smacking his hands against the arms of his chair. “Can’t wait.”

Terry passed Len as they all filtered to the main hall. Len’s hand darted out to catch the kid’s arm, almost smiling as his fingers wrapped around the kid’s wrist. The kid’s muscles were, as Len sort of expected considering the kid’s build, solid under his grip. They weren’t bulging but there was no question that there was power behind those muscles.

Especially not when, in the instant Len’s fingers wrapped around Terry’s wrist, those muscles tensed and Len’s face slammed into the tabletop as he blinked.

“Terrance!” Wayne barked, the windows shaking.

The grip on Len’s twisted arm lifted, Len groaning as he propped himself back up. He stretched his arm out, turning to glare at Terry. His glare faltered when his eyes met Terry’s though. The kid stared back at him, blue eyes wide enough that Len could almost see the edges of the whites of the kid’s eyes. Actually, his pupils were so tiny that the blues were almost swallowing them away. The last time he could remember seeing such eyes, he’d been looking past his father’s knees to a mirror with Lisa behind him.

_This kid has a hairy trigger and a shitty job to go with it. Damn._

“Sara,” Len warned, a hand up. She halted, glaring towards the young man. “My fault.”

“…Sorry,” Terry mumbled.

“Gentlemen,” Wayne said, voice calm and soothing.

Terry backed away, rushing towards Wayne while avoiding getting too close to the others. Sara continued to glare while Rip looked stupidly confused. There was a strange air to the whole situation as Terry slipped to Wayne’s side like dog slinking behind a friendly master when someone yelled too loudly. Wayne didn’t move his gaze from Len as he opened the glass on the grandfather clock. His fingers clicked something within the casing before he pressed the glass back into place. The clock shifted to the side.

“Not a damn word,” Wayne stated, Terry dashing into the void that had opened up in the wall. “Also, don’t try to steal from me. No one in my family reacts well to such things.”

The cave they entered was gigantic. There was out-and-out museum off to the right with everything from costumes, a creepy doll, and a giant penny to guns that weren’t commercial, a T-Rex, and other strange looking weapons. There was an impressive computer system to the left, glowing blue in the florescent lights of the cave. Off in the distance – which was a rather impressive one – were _multiple_ cars and planes and motorcycles. There were a few display cases with the uniforms of the Bat Family within them, Len noting there was about one too many Robin uniforms as well as another uniform that had only belonged to the gun toting idiot who had recently arrived in Gotham – Red Hood, if he remembered right.

Terry disappeared into a back area near the Bat Family costumes.

“Jeeze,” Mick whistled.

“What the hell is this?” Sara asked, pointing at a complicated looking gun that was standing near a harlequin themed costume and the creepy doll.

“It’s a gun used by Mr. Freeze,” Wayne stated. He glanced to Len then. “Ramon’s gun isn’t quite as nice in comparison; don’t you think?”

“…Wouldn’t know,” Len murmured, trying to ignore the smirk that nearly made its way onto Wayne’s face.

“You will,” Wayne stated. “Asher.”

“Mr. Wayne,” a chilled voice crooned, the computer coming alight in a dull, yet remarkable grey.

The AI interface that appeared was, indeed, a Gideon clone. There was something younger about her though. Maybe it was the clear curves to her figure and the flowing hair that fell over her shoulders in rings. Maybe it was the sharp cheekbones or the sharp eyes that looked almost cat-like. She was probably made quite some time after Gideon had been, when technology had gotten more advanced.

“Asher, Captain Hunter is looking for something,” Wayne stated.

Someone breezed past them then, body moving to walk between Asher and Wayne. Len blinked at the tall ears of the full cowl, the lack of a cape, and the bright red bat on the young man’s chest. Asher blinked, moving to stand in front of the young Batman, a hand up. He stopped and she looked him over, hands swiping imaginary dust off his shoulders. She smiled at him, the expression returned.

“Be safe, Terry,” she said, leaning forward to ‘kiss’ his cheek.

“I will be,” he replied, moving past her to the parked jet-like thing. He roared off, the runway lighting up just before the plane thing rushed forward on it.

“Mr. Wayne,” she smiled, her voice deep for a woman. “What is it Mr. Hunter wishes to have information on? A Time Master Relic, I assume?”

“A staff of some sort with time dilation abilities.”

“Ah, _that_ thing,” Asher said, her silver eyes actually rolling as she placed a hand on her hip. “Mr. Hunter, follow me.”

She walked across the flat expanse of the main area towards a bland looking wall. She held up a hand at it, another set of lights scanning over a small spot on it. The wall opened to reveal a vault of some sort. There were shelves filled with things.

“Search away,” she stated, an inviting hand waving towards the whole room. “Take _only_ the staff or learn _why_ I am trusted as the defense system of this cave and this family.”

“Because _someone_ nearly got the whole of the founding members of the League killed thanks to his paranoia,” Rip grumbled.

The AI’s hand snapped forward, catching Rip by the throat. Her eyes had gone black and her hair floated up like smoke as she squeezed a strangled gasp from Rip.

“My creator forgave that,” she snarled, her voice doubled and echoing at multiple pitches. “ _He_ was almost blown up and he forgave it.”

“Okay, okay!” Rex yelped. “Please put him down!”

Len glanced over to Wayne, trying to ignore how the man seemed unimpressed by the speech occurring behind his back. Then again, the screen of the computer had the image of the city speeding past on the large screen. There was a clear conversation occurring on the other side of the cave as well, Wayne speaking to Terry.

From Batman to ground control; how the mighty fell.

“Release him,” Sara snarled, shoving Rex out of the way.

“Want some?” Asher hissed.

“Before we break into a fight,” Len called. “Why does the old man have files on his co-workers?”

Asher’s hand released Rip’s throat, her features returning to their original appearance. She smiled softly at Len.

“The League was and is filled with powerful people,” she explained. “Certain groups, like…Cadmus, for instance, noted the dangers of such people teaming up. Whether it took an unexpected visit from alternate versions of the League or not is beside the point. It was noted. Mr. Wayne noted it _before_ everyone else.”

“And he had so little faith in the rest of us to _not_ go on a rampage?” Stein bellowed.

“Superman is not immune to manipulation,” Asher stated. “As has been proven time and again. In fact, Terry met him while he was under the influence of yet another alien. He barely stopped the invasion of said lifeform. Reason enough to keep Kryptonite around.”

“And the rest of his team?” Sara snarled, stepping in front of Jax who was being strangely quiet.

“Out of every founding member on the League, Batman was the only one who stayed lucid enough to deal with Dr. Destiny,” Rex explained. “The others had to be woken up from his control. Batman just stayed awake…Despite having been tired from before.” The others glanced at him. “What? I talk to Gideon. Sue me.”

“The coffee helped,” Wayne called.

“That still doesn’t excuse having all the weaknesses of your teammates somewhere,” Mick ground out. “Back me up, Len. He nearly got your favorite challenge blown up.”

“He was forgiven,” Asher stated. “Flash made me to ensure that such precautions would remain in place should the League go rogue. That is why I do not communicate with my sister short of an emergency.”

“…Why? It kinda makes sense,” Len muttered. “Though, Flash going rogue is rather laughable.”

Mick smirked. “Yeah! These alternate versions must have been really different for _Flash_ to be evil.”

“I’ve met at least two versions of the League from alternate worlds,” Wayne stated. “On one, they were vastly different from us in terms of being mafia heads and being bloodthirsty. They ruled with fear and the threat of blowing the world to bits with a nuclear bomb. Their Flash was very…Brooklyn. It was odd.”

The cave fell silent then and Len felt a shiver run up his spine.

“The other?” Stein asked as Jax looked a bit green.

“One of you _clearly_ socializes more than the other,” Len huffed.

“The other versions were…Us.”

“…What?” Sara asked.

“They were us. Our world. Nearly identical in every way save a few differences in fights they had and their timeline,” Wayne explained. “They were…ahead of us in a manner of speaking. There were some fights they’d had that we hadn’t but there were fights we’d had that weren’t in their records either. It wasn’t just that it was a future timeline. There were events that differed greatly.”

“Like being evil bastards,” Sara muttered.

“Miss Lance,” Asher snarled.

“They didn’t start that way,” Wayne stated. “In fact, they started out a lot like how we did. And then, something changed and they put their world under martial law. They nearly did the same to ours, kidnapping us and hiding us away as they fortified the Watch Tower into a weapon.”

“…What triggered them?” Mick asked.

“We’re not sure,” Wayne stated. “One factor was Superman getting fed up with Luthor after the man became president.”

“And their Flash was ours just…jaded to the point of evil?” Sara asked.

“We never met their Flash,” Wayne explained with a heavy sigh.

“Why not?” Stein puffed, hands on his hips and a frown on his face.

“…Another factor,” Wayne sighed, “was the death of their Flash.”

“Their Flash?” Len asked.

“Was dead,” Wayne muttered. “We don’t think he just vanished into the Speed Force either. Not with how their Batman reacted when our Flash sped his heart rate up to the point that the monitors couldn’t keep up and made it seem like he was flat lining.”

Wayne turned to face the then, eyes cold and face hardened.

“I’ve only run that fast when I thought someone I cared about was dead or dying,” he stated.

Len swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat, turning to stare into the vault. Those eyes promised something that he didn’t want to accept yet. Something he’d been fighting against since Barry had joined _them_.

Len knew _just_ enough about the Speed Force from Gideon to know it was just as dangerous as the work Barry did to find the kid’s access to it concerning. The kid could run through time and travel to other worlds because of the power of the Speed Force. That was known by almost anyone with a brain, apparently. The idea that a speedster could _vanish into it_ though…That was something different.

The work was dangerous. It would always be dangerous. There was no stopping that. Not when one side of the equation was constantly trying to kill the other side, always upping their game when defeated. The idea that the power that the side of good had could possibly _eat_ its wielder was never something that had occurred to Len. Oh, the magicians could probably summon something that could eat them but _speed inducing powers_? Not in a million years.

“Speedsters disappear into the thing that gives them their powers?” Mick asked, eyes wide.

“Actually,” Wayne sighed. “They cease to exist until they come out of the Speed Force. Which, just for your information, is a bitch to do if the Speedster matches the wavelength of it.”

“…You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Len murmured, eyes still focused on the vault. The staff was off to the left, sitting next to a few handguns and vials of something that looked toxic.

“I’m half sure that half the reason that other League went nuts was due to not having other Speedsters to help keep them all sane,” Wayne murmured.

Len picked up the staff and nodded at Asher as she shut the vault back up.

“So…He _is_ or he _isn’t_ going to disappear into this Speed Force thing?” Len asked.

“What year are you all from?” Wayne asked. “Can never tell with this one as your leader.” He waved at Rip as he spoke.

“20XX,” Sara muttered. Wayne smirked.

“He’s already disappeared into it once,” Wayne said. “Clearly, you all weren’t there.”

“…Will he do it again?” Len asked. Wayne glanced at him, eyes soft again.

“…He came back.”

“…Thanks for that,” Len muttered. He glared towards Rip. “We were just leaving.”

“Put that thing somewhere it can’t be gotten to if you can’t destroy it,” Wayne stated, returning his attention to the computer and Terry’s patrol.

The ship was silent on their way back to the Time Vault, Rex having gotten Rip something for the bruised jaw and the rest of them just not wanting to speak. Sara had already grilled Jax on the way back to the ship, Stein of no help to the poor kid when it came to knowledge about Batman. Stein really needed to get out of the labs and talk to his teammates more. Mick just stared at Len while Len stared at the staff in his lap.

“You didn’t kill him,” Mick mumbled.

“…Huh?”

“You’ve nearly taken the heads off every Leaguer you’ve met since Flash joined up,” Mick sighed. “This guy…It was blatantly pointed out that his precautions nearly killed the founding League members, Flash included, and you didn’t freeze him then and there. Why?”

“…If I say it’s the kids, would you believe me?”

“…A bit,” Mick mumbled. “I know triggers when I see them and that was a real nasty one.”

“Kinda wonder what happened to him,” Len mused, turning the staff over in his hands. “Then again, considering his night activities, it’s not a difficult guess.”

“Might not have anything to do with it,” Mick whispered. “I mean…Wayne gets kidnapped occasionally because someone had a beef or something. The kid’s clearly close to the man. Maybe someone thought they’d get to Wayne through him.”

“Maybe.”

“Still…that’s not the only reason, is it?”

“…That other League was them,” Len murmured. “Wayne doesn’t take Flash’s forgiveness for granted.”

“…Guess that’s enough then?”

“Yeah…It’s enough.”


End file.
